Ali and I spent the last week on an epic kayak adventure in Desolation Sound. It was a first for both of us to do this long of an unguided trip. It was a lot of planning – from route planning (where did we want to go, how many km to get there, how fast do we think we will paddle, how long will it take, where is there fresh water, where will we bail if the weather changes, etc.) to meal planning, to gear and packing planning. We planned for a 5 day, 4 night adventure with 1 extra night on each end of our trip as we needed to travel pretty far to get there and take two ferries. But holy crap was it worth it!! We had the most incredible time – one of my favourite trips I’ve ever done and it was really special to do it with one of my best friends. I’m so excited to recap our adventure and re-live it while writing this post.
Day 1 – Vancouver to Powell River
Today was a travel day from Vancouver to Powell River. Ali picked me up bright and early as we were catching the 8:30am ferry from Vancouver to Sunshine Coast. We grabbed an awesome breakfast to-go in Sechelt and headed straight to the next ferry in Earls Cove. The ferry was full so we had to kill a few hours until the next one but we eventually made it to Powell River. We checked into our super cute tiny home and organized all our gear into dry bags for the next morning. We were checking the marine forecast religiously as there was a high wind warning for the next day when we had planned to depart. Ultimately, we had to call and move our kayak rental from Monday to Tuesday as the forecast was calling for gale force winds. We took the evening easy, relaxed in the hot tub and went down to the ocean for a swim.
Day 2 – Powell River
It was super windy and absolutely pouring so as much as we were disappointed to lose a day of paddling, we knew it was for the best. We were able to move into another Airbnb on the same property but this time it was a trailer. It was actually really clean and had a cosy bed, the highlight being another hot tub (woo!) and a covered outdoor deck with a fire pit. We explored Powell River – checked out some wood carvings, a beach, and went to Townsite Brewing for an afternoon beer.
Day 3 – Okeover to Curme Islands
Kayaking Distance: 17.5 km
Duration: 6.5 hrs
We finally got out on the water! We got to the kayak rental shop, loaded up our kayaks (holy crap it took so long to Jenga everything in there), and started making our way to camp. Our goal was to camp at Curme Islands and make this our base camp to do day trips from. We planned to stop at Hare Point for lunch before we made a big crossing – if the weather was too sketchy we’d make camp here for 1 night. It was still pretty windy with a south east wind of 15 to 20 knots, and it was raining on/off. Our wetsuits were perfect to paddle in, we were really comfortable temperature-wise regardless of the rain. Not too long into our journey the waves started to pick up – the wind and waves were pushing us in the direction we needed to go but there was one corner where three boats didn’t give us enough room and created a super sketchy wake in addition to the waves AND my rudder was acting up – it was definitely an “oh shit” moment but no one capsized and we were alright. We took a minute to fix my rudder and then pressed on to Hare Point.
We had a nice hot coffee with brie, bacon, and apple sandwiches. After a quick lunch break we were back in the kayaks to get to Curme Islands which was another 9.5km from Hare Point. We paddled to the point where we’d need to start the crossing, the clouds looked ominous and I was on the fence if we should continue. Thankfully Ali confidently said we could do it and that it was at least worth trying so we did (note that the water temperature here is very warm and we had wetsuits on + my VHF radio among several other emergency gear). It was wavy but the kayaks cut through well, it was actually pretty fun and didn’t feel sketchy once we got going. We made the crossing feeling really comfortable and took a long break once we got to the other side. After a little bit of candy we had the sugar rush energy to push on to Curme Islands where we claimed the best tent pad!!! We set up a big tarp so we had an outdoor space to chill and cook and had our first camp meal. It was absolutely beautiful even with some rain.
Day 4 – Curme Islands & Prideaux Haven
Kayaking Distance: 10 km
Duration: 3.5-4 hrs
Today we did a day trip from our base camp of Curme Islands to Prideaux Haven. It was a beautiful calm day, light wind with a mix of sun and clouds. Prideaux Haven is apparently where all the fancy yachts hang out! We explored the area and spent a few hours having a picnic lunch, reading and snorkeling. We found a rope swing on our paddle home which I obviously had to try! Back at camp we had an amazing dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, pineapple and salad. Who said backcountry couldn’t be fancy? Ali was definitely to thank for the menu – we ate so well all trip!
Day 5 – Curme Islands & Tenedos Bay
Kayaking Distance: 9 km
Duration: 3hrs
It was a stunning day, zero wind and full sunshine. The days of paddling were catching up to us so we had a lazy morning at camp, reading, swimming and tanning. May or may not have had a cheeky swim in our birthday suits. In the afternoon we paddled over to Tenedos Bay, taking a few breaks to swim as it was so hot!! Once we got to Tenedos Bay it was a short walk to reach Unwin Lake to grab some fresh water and of course, more swimming. When we got back to camp we had a cannon ball competition off a rock ledge (we’re so mature) and were just about to make dinner when a couple we had met on our first day came over to our campsite. They had met a local fisherman who gave them a huge piece of salmon that they brought over to share with us!! We were incredibly thankful for such a beautiful fish to have to celebrate our last night. This couple had to swim over from their site to bring it to us, they were so kind. We had an awesome meal and enjoyed the sunset. We really did not want to go home yet.
Day 6 – Curme Islands to Okeover
Kayaking Distance: 17.5 km
Duration: 4.5hrs
Given that we had the wind on our back and it took us 6.5 hrs to get here, we were convinced with no wind we’d need at least 7 hrs to get back to Okeover to return the kayaks. We needed to return the rental by 4pm so we got up at 5am to watch the sunrise, have coffee and breakfast, deconstruct camp and pack the kayaks. We originally planned to spend our last night in Feather Cove to avoid a long paddle day back but setting up camp was such an effort that we decided to call Curme Islands home for the whole trip. We were on the water at 7:15am and the water was super calm. It also wasn’t too hot out yet which we were thankful for, especially since we wouldn’t be stopping during the crossing. We had almost made it across when we spotted a ton of splashing in the distance. A few minutes later we were surrounded by a pod of 30 white bellied Pacific dolphins!!! It was absolutely incredible. They were so playful – jumping and showing off doing synchronized flips in the air. They kept turning around and coming back towards us, we must have been kayaking with them for at least 10 minutes. We could not believe it. They got as close as 6 feet from our kayaks! It was so magical and the best send off. I don’t know if the dolphins gave us a renewed energy but we paddled back way faster than we thought it would take. We didn’t want to return the kayaks right away so we stopped and had lunch in between some islands before eventually reaching Okeover. We spent the night in Powell River at a hobby farm and had an awesome Mexican dinner in town. After dinner we spotted three to five humpback whales in the distance. The icing on the cake to an amazing trip, we didn’t believe it could get any better.
Day 7 – Powell River to Vancouver
After a nice breakfast of farm fresh eggs and locally made breakfast sausages, we packed up to head back to Vancouver. Not wanting to miss the ferry from Powell River to Sunshine Coast, we got there super early this time. Once we arrived in Sunshine Coast we desperately tried to book a pedicure or a massage but everywhere was booked up! So we had an awesome and massive lunch at Batch 44 before our ferry back to Vancouver. I even made it back in time to watch the Celebration of Lights fireworks! What a trip this was, words can’t even describe it! We’re definitely planning another kayak trip for next year!
What an adventure! The dolphins must have been trippy swimming around your kayaks – so cool. 🐬